Trip celebrates Claremont's Kimberley links
Claremont have flown an entire colts team to Broome to play a Kimberley representative side tomorrow in a move they hope to turn into a regular cultural experience for the WAFL club's best young footballers.
Twenty-two colts players are making the three-day trip to Claremont's regional recruiting zone to play in the KRSP Cup against Kimberley Spirit.
The select group will also drive to the remote Aboriginal community of Bidyadanga - about 190km south of Broome - for a clinic.
It will be a proud moment for draft hopeful Francis Watson, who spent seven years of his childhood in another community, Balgo Hills, 900km south-west of Darwin.
The defender, whose creativity with the ball stood out at this year's under-18 championships, will switch teams to represent the region of his birth.
Watson's AFL prospects have taken a significant leap forward since moving to the Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth last year and after successfully trialling for a colts position.
Claremont football manager Dean Horsington labelled Watson's opportunity "fantastic".
He also said the club's city-born colts players would get a shock if they didn't take the contest seriously.
"They'll be shocked with the way they do move the football and the speed the Kimberley boys can show," Horsington said.
"It's a great experience to see the challenges these young players face coming from the Kimberley and having to assimilate into Perth.
"I think it's a great eye-opener for all our city guys that are travelling to experience what it's like coming from a community."
The trip costs more than $30,000 and has been funded by sponsor Kimberley Regional Service Providers (KRSP).
